


Chained to You

by BergaraHoe (flannelfeelings)



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Client Shane, Courtroom scenes so if that doesnt interest u look away, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, Gay, Gay Love, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I might not post both chapters at once but it is complete and will be uploaded promptly, Lawyer! Ryan, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentions of death (not the main characters), Pining, Plot, Protective Ryan, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej - Freeform, Sarcastic Ryan, Secret Affair, Snarky Ryan, buzzfeed unsolved - Freeform, happiness, mentions of domestic abuse, mentions of sex but no actual smut, shyan, star crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 06:00:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19969183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelfeelings/pseuds/BergaraHoe
Summary: Ryan has been successful at many things in life. He's a successful lawyer, with a lot going for him. He's happy...he's sure of it.When he meets his next client, however, he learns what the true meaning of happiness is.





	1. Freeside

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> Heres a lawyer ryan client shane AU that i have no idea why i wrote
> 
> pls remember im not a lawyer or legal official so its probably not accurate i know this dont hate me its a fanfic (check tags for content warnings)
> 
> Thank u to Megan Mel and Jess for reading this and supporting my fat ass! I love you guys
> 
> SHANE CULT!!

His whole life, Ryan Bergara had been told what he couldn’t do.

_Ryan, you can’t play basketball. You’re short, you’re Asian!_

He made the team full of white and black counterparts, and became the school’s MVP. Basketball even got him a full-ride to Duke, where he excelled academically and athletically.

_Ryan, you can’t change your major this far in._

He changed majors; and graduated with a degree in law.

_Ryan, you can’t become an executive at a law firm at thirty-two_.

Well, he did that too.

Needless to say, the youngest managing partner at “ _Steinwald, Stevens & Bergara_” had overcome quite a bit of adversity. But he’d worked hard to get where he is today, and he knew that it was paying off. Yet, as he stepped off the elevator into the bustling third floor of the firm’s building, he was approached by a senior partner at the firm, Jeffrey Stevens.

“Mr. Bergara, good morning.” the pale, wrinkled man greeted him quickly.

Ryan tried to hide his grimace; the stuffy, uptight man always had trouble with his last name for some reason, pronouncing it “ _Bar_ gara” instead of “ _Ber_ gara.” Ryan wished he’d just stick to first names. “Ryan” was pretty palatable, especially for old white guys.

“Hello, Jeff.” he greeted the elder casually, “how are you?” Jeffrey began walking with Ryan as he veered toward his office at the back corner of the floor, “we uh- we need to speak about something.” They reached Ryan’s office and entered. Ryan set his briefcase on the desk, glancing up at Jeffrey, who’s expression was rather serious.

“You look awfully wound up.” Ryan noticed, smirking slightly. It was fun for him to tease the higher ups that he knew had fought against him becoming so high-ranking in the firm. Not only did they now have an “ethnic” name in the title of their firm (their words, not his) but one of their managing partners was not even old enough to run for president, while the other senior ranking officials could all have fathered Ryan, by age comparison.

But Ryan was _that_ good. He knew it, and luckily, the owner of the firm knew it as well. Though, that didn’t make it any less annoying knowing how hard some of the executives had tried to halt his promotion. However, Ryan was no stranger to difficult odds.

“We have...an assignment for you.” Jeffrey broached slowly, his stance hesitant as he scratched the balding spot on his gray head.

Ryan cocked an eyebrow up curiously at the anxious man standing before him, “Oh, you do? And why do you look like you’re about to keel over at the thought of it?”

Jeffrey grimaced, “Mr. Bergara, this was a board decision, not mine. So take that into consideration when I tell you the details.”

Ryan crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes as a frown creased his brows, “And the details _are_ …?”

Jeffrey let his breath out in a loud huff, gnawing on his lower lip. He couldn't meet Ryan’s eyes, “Robert’s nephew has gotten into some...legal trouble. Just a teensy snafu with some local law enforcement, and he needs a good lawyer to get him out of this pickle.”

“So let me make sure I’m understanding this,” Ryan asked with a frown, “Robert Madej, the _owner_ of this law firm, has a family member who had a _teensy snafu_ , and he wants _me_ to get him off?”

Jeffrey nodded unhelpfully.

Ryan scoffed, “What’s the snafu, a speeding ticket? ‘Cause I have to be honest here Jeffrey, I think this is a matter than any intern could handle with ease.”

“Not a speeding ticket.” Jeffrey replied, visibly uncomfortable.

“Then what?” Ryan demanded.

“Murder.”

“Murder.”

Ryan repeated slowly, absorbing the reality of this charge. "Got it. Quite a snafu.”

Jeffrey grimaced.

Ryan knew he could do this. But he wasn’t exactly excited about it.

* * *

Two days after Jeffrey had assigned Ryan to this case, the young lawyer found himself standing outside _Folsom State Prison_. It was quite a drive from Ryan’s penthouse in LA, but inconvenience was surely to be par-for-the course given this case.

Ryan had tried plenty of murder cases before, hell, one of his first defining trials was the brutal dismemberment of a little girl. He’d gotten the accused off rather easily due to police incompetence and lab error.

Morally, it wasn’t a breeze to fight for the release of a man who’d possibly killed a child. But it was a good foundation for Ryan’s ability to put feelings aside and do his job. Whether or not his clients were actually guilty; he didn’t want to know. He just wanted to get in, do his job, and get out. If he helped a few innocent people in the process, good enough. And...if he helped drug-peddlers and murderers get back on the streets...well, that was his job.

Since joining his current firm however, Ryan had mostly dealt with more distinguished cases. Embezzlement, lawsuits, divorce. Murders and rapes were more often than not left to the public defenders, unless it was a high-profile case.

It had been a little while since he’d visited a prison to meet with a client. Stepping inside was nerve-wracking as always, and the temperature was absolutely freezing. He huddled into his suit jacket a little deeper as he followed the guard down the hall into the visitation room.

There was a man sitting at the table in the center of the room. When he stood, Ryan’s eyes went wide. He was huge, towering over Ryan and the guard, probably about 6’4 in stature, though his body was lean and lanky. He was pale-skinned, with a messy sweep of light brown hair and wide brown almond eyes. His nose was long and thin, with a small curved jaw and a large mouth. Ryan was surprised that he found him...rather handsome.

_What is wrong with you?_ His brain said, disgusted, _dude’s a friggin murderer!_

“Hello.” The tall man greeted Ryan with a nod and stuck his hand out, “I’m Shane Madej.”

Ryan shook his hand and gestured to the table for him to sit down, doing the same himself, “Nice to meet you Mr. Madej. I’m Ryan Bergara, I’ll be representing you.”

“I thought my uncle would be coming.” The man responded nervously.

“Unfortunately Mr. Madej, that would be a conflict of interest.”

“Please, call me Shane.” he smiled gently, and Ryan felt warmth fill his chest at the man’s kind eyes.

_Stop it! He’s a criminal!_

“Shane,” Ryan smiled back, but quickly removed the expression, trying to remain neutral, “you’re being accused of murder. You understand this is a very serious accusation, yes?”

Shane chuckled shortly, “I’ve been accused of cheating on the SATs and stealing my best friend’s CD bag in high school. Where do you think this charge falls on that scale?”

Ryan forced himself to refrain from laughing. This wasn’t the first funny client he’d had, but for some reason he felt like he shouldn’t show too much emotion with Shane. Just in case something... _inappropriate_ slipped through.

“I’d say worse than the SAT cheating scandal, but not nearly as bad as swiping a disk collection.” Ryan bit back, hoping to establish a rapport with the client, “what’d you score?”

“More Clay Aiken than I expected.”

Ryan snorted, “I meant on the SATs.”

“Oh,” Shane’s face blushed red, “An 1800. Back in my day, that was a near perfect score.”

“And did you cheat?”

Shane put a hand over his heart, scoffing in feigned hurt, “That insinuation offends me. Don’t you think I’m smart enough to score my own 1800?”

Ryan pursed his lips, “Well...you were dumb enough to steal Clay Aiken CDs, so I’m at a crossroads here with my answer.”

Shane bellowed out a laugh, running a long, slender hand through his messy hair as he did so. Ryan had to avert his eyes; he found the action strikingly endearing.

“So,” Ryan spoke again, more businesslike now, “Tell me what happened Shane. Cops got you on the hook for murdering your brother Scott’s girlfriend; they’ve got your DNA on the scene, eyewitness accounts saying they saw you two fighting at a restaurant that night, and a damn good prosecutor. What I need from you, is the whole story, and every little detail you can recall.”

Shane sighed, nervously playing with his hands in his lap. He chewed on his lip for a moment, before meeting Ryan’s eyes and nodding, “Okay.” he seemed to make a decision, “I _did_ kill Malorie.”

Ryan sighed heavily, trying to hide the visible disappointment he felt. Even though he generally assumed most of his clients were guilty; it was never easy when they admitted to it.

Shane continued speaking before Ryan could reply, “But it was self defense. Malorie abused my brother for their entire relationship. I’m not just talking emotionally. She’d hurt him, burn him with cigarettes, beat him with a pipe. She fucked him up really bad about a week ago, he had to go to the ER. I told him I was done. This wasn’t happening anymore. I met up with her at the restaurant to explain to her that she wasn’t going to be seeing my brother anymore.” he sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly before continuing, “she got angry and got up in the middle of the conversation. She said she was going to go to the hospital to make sure Scott didn’t tell anyone else what was going on.”

Shane’s voice was trembling as he spoke. Ryan reached out and took one of his hands soothingly, encouraging him, “It’s alright Shane. Please, continue. Anything you can remember.”

The taller man swallowed hard, nodding as he forced the words out, “I followed her out, yelling at her to stop. We-we got to her car. I told her I wasn’t going anywhere until she agreed to leave Scott alone. She pulled out her gun. I panicked, and reached for it, and we started wrestling. We ended up on the pavement beside her car, her on top of me trying to _shoot_ me. I-I didn’t want to, but I punched her to try to get her off. After I hit her, I got in control and pinned her, but when I reached for the gun she wrapped her hands around my neck and started choking me. I started to feel the air leaving my lungs and my vision was blurry. I managed to grab the gun and I hit it over her head, hoping to just knock her out.” He closed his eyes, breathing out of his nose slowly, as if he was nauseas, “I wasn’t trying to _k-kill_ her. I didn’t _mean_ to hit her so hard. I just wanted her to stop. She was going to shoot me, and then go kill my brother to keep him quiet.”

“You weren’t trying to kill her?” Ryan confirmed.

“If I wanted to kill her I would’ve just shot her,” Shane said sourly. Then he sighed, shaking his head, “I can’t believe this even happened. I just wanted her to leave our family alone. I never wanted anyone to get hurt, her included.”

Ryan inhaled cautiously, “Okay Shane. That’s really good, thank you for telling me everything.” he squeezed Shane’s hand, hoping it was somewhat comforting, “it’s gonna be alright, okay? We’re in this together.”

Shane offered him a weak smile, “ I couldn't have asked for a better lawyer.”

Ryan chuckled, “Don’t tell your uncle that, I think he’d be offended.”

Shane shrugged, “I’d tell him that any day of the week. Thanks again Ryan, for everything.”

Though he wasn’t sure what was going to happen, all Ryan wanted to do was ease the pained look at this man’s face. He knew there was nothing he could say to comfort him in this situation, so he said the only thing he knew.

“We’ve got some work to do.”

* * *

“Your honor, this man is a threat to public safety.” Prosecuting attorney Diana Jacobs pointed a red painted fingernail at Shane, who sat in the front row of the courtroom, handcuffed and flanked by two officers. She continued, “he brutally bludgeoned a young woman in broad daylight-”

“It was actually 6:30PM, so there is certainly some creative license here with the term _“broad daylight._ ”” Ryan cut her off, giving her a quick smirk.

“Let’s not split hairs Mr. Bergara,” Judge Leslie Harrison said; her expression was not amused, “I know that your firm usually foires into the court in your three-thousand dollar suits to set free an embezzling CEO, and this case may be below your paygrade, but I don’t tolerate smartmouths in my courtroom.”

“What kind of mouths _do_ you tolerate?” Ryan inquired petulantly.

Judge Harrison held an old, wrinkled index finger up, “One more, counsel, and I’m holding you in contempt.”

“And back to the point I was hoping to get across, before opposing counsel so rudely interjected.” Diana continued, rolling her eyes at Ryan, “Mr. Madej should be remanded without bail. He’s a danger to society and if released, I believe he will do harm again.”

“Hogwash,” Ryan scoffed, “Your Honor, my client is not a flight risk. He has no record, strong ties to the community, and most importantly, this was an act of self-defense. He is not a danger to anyone, except the already deceased.”

“Self defense?” Diana snapped, “tell me how a 6 '4 man is threatened by a 90 pound woman?”

“ _Guns_ don’t differentiate between body types, Dana.” Ryan snarled back at her.

“It’s _Diana_ and you _know_ that Bergara-”

“Save it for the trial! This is a bail hearing,” Judge Harrison shouted over them, “Given that the defendant has no prior record and is claiming self defense, I’m inclined to air on the side of release. However, as you so kindly pointed out Mr. Bergara, there _is_ a deceased in this scenario. Your client, at some point, has been a danger, and may feel the desire to flee. I’m setting bail at $20,000, if that is met, the defendant is released on his own recognizance until the trial. We’re adjourned.” she slammed her gavel down and the court officials began rising.

Diana scowled at Ryan and stomped out with her briefcase.

“This is good,” Ryan insisted, turning to Shane to talk to him over the small barricade, “if we can figure out a way to get 20k, then you don’t have to stay in prison until the trial.”

“I don’t suppose you could write that donation off on your taxes?” Shane quipped, half-smiling.

Ryan chuckled, “No. I don’t think so. But let me speak with your uncle, I’m sure we can figure something out. We’ll talk soon.”

Shane nodded and thanked him before the guards whisked him away again.

* * *

As luck would have it, Robert Madej managed to get the $20,000 bond posted, and Shane was released pending the trial.

He and Ryan had already had a few meetings regarding case strategies, and the trial was nearing, only three weeks away. Today, they were seated outside a small coffee shop having breakfast. It was a cloudy day, rain looming in the near future. Citizens were scattered around the streets, looking for cover from the impending storm.

Shane glanced up at Ryan over his hot coffee, smiling gently. They’d gotten to know each other pretty well in the past few weeks. They had quite a bit in common, and Ryan was finding it increasingly difficult to keep emotionally detached about this case.

“You work too hard,” Shane mused, eyeballing the stack of papers in front of Ryan.

“Keeping your ass out of the electric chair is a full time job.” Ryan hit back casually, not looking up from his work.

Shane snorted, “ _Har-de-har._ You realize it’s Saturday and you’re working?”

Now, Ryan spared a short glance at the man sitting across from him. Shane’s chin was resting on his hands, and his eyes were hopeful and expectant.

“You’re bored.” Ryan realized, “you’re _bored_? We’re discussing how to save you from a lifetime of clutching soap like it’s a security blanket, and you’re _bored?_ ”

Shane shrugged nonchalantly, “Lawyering is more paperwork than I expected. You need some fresh air.”

Ryan glanced up at the cloudy skies, “We’re sitting outside.”

“C’mon Maverick.” Shane scooted his chair back and got to his feet, holding one hand out for Ryan to take, “let me take you on an adventure.”

Ryan looked back at the files before him, nervously biting his lip. He looked back at Shane’s eager face, arguing once more, “I really should work on my opening statement.”

But then, Shane’s lips tilted up in an enchanting smirk, and Ryan knew he was toast. He threw his papers in his briefcase and followed Shane down the sidewalk to where he’d parked his car. Shane got behind the wheel, and Ryan got in beside him, somewhat nervous about what they were doing.

“Where are we going?” Ryan asked as Shane pulled off the main road on to the highway. It was one that led through the countryside, overlooking the ocean.

Shane’s hair was blowing wildly in the wind from his open window as they drove, one of his arms hanging out to catch the breeze, “Does it matter?”

Ryan scoffed, “What does _that_ mean?”

“Why are you so uptight?” Shane inquired, arching an eyebrow inquisitively, “why do you always need to have a plan for everything?”

“I’m _not_ uptight.” Ryan defended himself, “And having a plan isn’t bad- it’s what made me successful.”

“I believe that,” Shane said agreeably, “But why can’t you let go sometimes? Not everything is a race to the finish.”

Ryan snorted, rolling his eyes, “Who ordered the therapy session?”

“Point is,” Shane continued, ignoring Ryan’s little quip, “sometimes with life you just have to...enjoy the ride. Stop trying to control everything and let it happen to you for a little while."

“I’ll consider that.” Ryan replied sharply, “Now tell me...is a murder charge part of this ride of life?”

Shane looked a little hurt, and Ryan instantly felt bad. Shane was just trying to help him unwind, and here he was, snapping at him.

“Sorry, that was mean.”

The taller man shook his head, “Nah. It’s okay. I know that it sounds really cliche. But that’s the best way I’ve learned to deal with everything life throws at you without getting extremely overwhelmed.” he glanced sideways at Ryan, and gave him a small smile, “just thought you might want to try relaxing a little. You’re a tiny ball of stress.”

“Okay, first of all I _resent_ that descriptor, since I am 5’10-”

“5’9 and three quarters.” Shane cut in smugly.

“ _Five-ten_!” Ryan snapped back, “And maybe you’re right.” he sighed, shoulders sagging, “I am stressed. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from you...killer.”

Shane scoffed, placing his hand over his heart, “You know, for someone who’s so sensitive about his stature, you sure pick on me a lot.”

Ryan chuckled, “You’re such an easy target. Just roll with it, right?”

Shane laughed, and the sound was so refreshing and clear that it made Ryan smile in response. Now, small droplets of rain had begun to patter down the windshield of the car and on their arms hanging out the windows. The countryside air was warm, and the rain was light enough to be comfortable in, but still brought with it the crisp cool scent of a fresh downpour. Soon enough, Shane had pulled the car over in an emergency pull-off on the side of the deserted highway. There was nothing around them for miles except grassy cliffs.

Ryan looked around in confusion,“Where are we?”

Shane was opening his door though, and climbing out, “C’mon little lawyer boy.”

Ryan looked down at his _Armani_ suit, grimacing at the thought of rain soaking it, “My suit-” he glanced up, meeting Shane’s gaze. The taller man had an expression on his face that said, _just roll with it,_ _Ryan_.

Ryan groaned and shrugged off his suit jacket, leaving him in his form-fitting gray slacks and a white button down. He rolled the sleeves up and hopped out, his loafers hitting the pavement as he felt rain hit his skin.

Shane crossed the car and grinned at the shorter of the pair, who’d already grumpily crossed his arms over his chest. “Come on.” Shane reached out and took Ryan’s hand from where it was tucked in his arm.

Ryan allowed himself to be led off the pavement into the grass, though every fiber in his being told him this was too crazy. “You’re not taking me to your murder den, right?” Ryan clarified, only half-kidding.

Shane snorted, “I am, actually. Hope you’ve said your goodbyes.”

The trek was about a half mile from the road through mostly just flat underbrush. By the time they reached where Shane had in mind, the rain was really coming down now. They came to a stop just at the crest of one of the highest cliffs on the grassy mountain, the scenery now overflowing with dark green jade as a cover of trees began to come into view, somewhat shielding them from the rain. As they reached the edge of the cliff, Ryan’s eyes widened at the sight. They were overlooking the ocean, dark blue as the gray skies rolled in behind it. The choppy waves and white seafoam beat against the beach below, and the salty smell of seawater wafted up, mingling with the rain.

“Wow…” Ryan murmured in awe.

Shane nodded, grinning as he too enjoyed the sight before them, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Ryan nodded, he didn’t want to talk too much, as if his voice would ruin the stunning sight. Shane plopped down on a large boulder, resting his elbows on his knees as he breathed in the crisp, clean air. Robotically, Ryan sat beside him on a smaller rock.

“I like to come here when things just seem like they’re too much.” Shane explained in a soft voice, “seeing the wide expanse of ocean...just how much _world_ is out there, well, it makes all your problems seem awfully small.” 

Ryan nodded again, “Yeah.” he replied quietly. Ryan couldn’t remember the last time he’d even taken a good look at the ocean. He spent most of his weekends at the office.

Shane threw an arm around Ryan’s shoulders, “You’re uncharacteristically quiet.”

Ryan inhaled a breath of the moist air, “I’m just...taking it in.” he glanced up at Shane’s face.

The other man’s hair was matted down with rain, his red flannel appeared to be pretty soaked through, but he wasn’t shivering. His eyelashes were dark and long, small droplets of rain pirouetting off the tips of them. The dark skies and backlight off the stormy sea made his hazel eyes lustrous.

“Beautiful.” Ryan whispered, and he wasn’t talking about the ocean this time.

Shane’s eyes met his, and his answering smile told Ryan that he was thinking similar thoughts, “Yes.” he breathed quietly, “you are.”

Ryan knew he probably looked like a poodle that had been left out in the rain. His neatly gelled hair had gotten soaked, bringing his dark, shaggy curls to life as they hung over his forehead. His shirt was doused with rainwater, making his torso all-too visible. He was blinking raindrops from his vision rapidly.

Before Ryan could respond, Shane moved in, and he felt lips press against his own. Eyes widening, Ryan froze, unsure of what to do. Did he want this? Yes. Yes he did.

_Do something!_ His brain screamed at him, _you’re sitting there like a dead fish!_

Finally, Ryan’s body kicked into gear and he kissed back, bringing his hands up to knot his fingers in the wet hair that curled up at the nape of Shane’s neck. He felt Shane’s arms travel to his body, wrapping securely around Ryan’s back and pulling him in tight. Shane’s lips molded perfectly to Ryan’s, kissing him as if he was worried it would be their last. Rain splattered on their faces and mouths, but neither seemed to care as the kiss deepened. When Shane’s hand slid around Ryan’s back to rest on his thigh, he was brought back to reality. Ryan pulled back with effort, meeting Shane’s eyes.

“This is abhorrent…” Ryan muttered.

Shane’s face fell, “I thought it was nice.”

“No, no!” Ryan amended quickly, “it _was_ nice! It was amazing. But...but this is wrong. You’re my client, I shouldn’t be taking advantage of-”

“Ryan, please.” Shane cut him off, “I’ll go ahead and decide what is fair to me, okay? And your lips...those are _more_ than fair.”

“B-but, this isn’t morally right.” Ryan shook his head, “this is a conflict of interest- we can’t-”

“Jesus Ry, we’re making out, not getting married.” Shane chuckled, “remember when I said you needed to relax a little? This is kinda what I was talking about. Stop being such a fuddy-duddy.”

Ryan’s nose wrinkled up distastefully, “Did you actually just use that phrase? Like..not in jest?”

The pads of Shane’s fingers came up to stroke Ryan’s cheek gently, and he leaned in so their faces were inches apart, “Take a deep breath.” he urged the shorter of the two calmly, “unclench your asscheeks, and come back here.”

There wasn’t much Ryan could say to argue with that. Their lips met again, gentler this time. Ryan let out a soft moan as he scooted closer, practically straddling Shane on the boulder, as the taller man held him tightly by the lower back. Shane’s lips moved in a fluid motion against Ryan’s, and came down his jaw and neck to suck warmly on the wet skin there. Ryan’s moans increased audibly as Shane left him a nice red hickey just above his shirt collar.

“You’re awfully naughty for a pawn of the courts,” Shane whispered against Ryan’s neck, as he felt the hardening bulge in Ryan’s slacks.

Ryan chuckled, pressing his lips against Shane’s once more, nibbling on his lower lip gently, “you haven’t seen anything yet, defendant.”

Shane laughed and ran his fingers through Ryan’s damp curls, licking his slightly swollen lips as he met Ryan’s eyes, “Hey, Ryan?”

“Yeah, Shane?”

Shane’s cheeks were a little red, and he looked somewhat nervous about what he was going to say. “I’m uh...I’m really glad I met you.”

Ryan’s brows arched up, surprised, “Most people don’t say that about the person they met because of a murder charge.”

“Most people aren’t you.” Shane replied softly.

Ryan couldn’t help the grin that broke out across his face, “Well, let’s thank God for that.” he climbed off of Shane’s lap, sighing as he smoothed out the wet wrinkles of his shirt. He turned back to glance at Shane, still sitting on the boulder, watching Ryan. His face was rather serious.

“I’ve met a lot of people doing what I do.” Ryan said quietly, uncomfortable with how vulnerable this whole situation had him feeling, but pushing through it. “I’ve met people who I knew were guilty. People who’d done some pretty horrible things.” He turned his body completely and knelt down in front of Shane, taking his hands with a squeeze, “That’s what made it so easy for me to leave that type of law and go to a firm that deals with victim-less crimes mostly. But honestly Shane? Out of every case, every person, every single moment I’ve had doing this work....” he sighed, meeting Shane’s gaze, “I’ve never been so sure. I’ve never cared so goddamn much. I’m not an...emotional guy, never have been, but you keep me up at night worrying. I’m gonna do whatever the fuck it takes to keep you safe.”

Shane beamed, leaning in once more to plant a quick peck on Ryan’s nose, “I’m very lucky to have you, even if you are the world’s littlest lawyer.”

Ryan snorted, reaching out to land his knuckles into Shane’s bicep, shoving him off the rock, “Never mind, I’m sending you to prison!”

Shane rose to his feet and began running through the underbrush toward the car, “You’ll have to catch me first!”

Ryan groaned and took off after him, dirtying up his neatly polished loafers as he dug into the muddy grass.

For once, he didn’t care.


	2. And Tribulations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again--not a lawyer or a trained legal official. just pretend its an episode of law and order lol
> 
> enjoy!

“Mr. Bergara, do you need a moment to compose yourself?” Ryan glanced up, wiping at his watery eyes as Jeff Stevens watched him worriedly.

Ryan blew his nose into another tissue, tossing it into the trash can under his desk. He was recovering from a sudden sneeze attack as Jeff sat across from him in his office.

“No,” Ryan sniffled, “I’m fine, it’s just a cold.”

Damn Shane. Damn kiss in the rain by the ocean on the gorgeous cliff. Damn unwinding and relaxing. This is why Ryan didn’t let loose. Because even when he tried to have just the slightest bit of fun, he caught a fucking cold.

“So where were we?” Ryan looked back at the notes in front of him, the words were starting to swim across the page listfully.

“You were debriefing me on the details for Robert’s nephew’s case.” Jeffrey reminded him, “Rob wants an update.”

“Yes.” Ryan nodded, trying to focus. This morning his fever had been at 101(F). He’d taken some Tylenol hoping it would help, but he could feel the cold sweat on his forehead, and felt like he’d been hit by a bus. “Our key defense is arguing self preservation. The deceased had a gun, and it’s been identified as being registered to her. Her and Shane’s prints are on it, which match his story that they wrestled for control of it. We-”

His next sentence was broken up by a series of hacking coughs that shook his chest. He covered his face, gasping and coughing into his elbow. Jeffrey grimaced, visibly disgusted.

“Perhaps you should work from home today, Mr. Bergara.” the older man said disdainfully, “you look positively awful.”

Ryan cleared his throat, glancing up sourly at his coworker, “Gee, thanks. You’re so sweet to me Jeff.”

“I just meant that-”

“I know I know.” Ryan waved a hand lazily, grimacing at the pain in his head, “I think I will head home early today. Can we reconvene tomorrow morning?”

Jeffrey nodded, rising from his seat and exiting Ryan’s office. He closed the door behind him softly, and Ryan sighed. He began gathering up his papers and packing his briefcase to work from home. He left the building in a hurry and made it back to his penthouse within twenty minutes.

Once he reached his soft, king-sized bed, there was no chance of even looking at his work. He collapsed into a pile of blankets, with his shoes and suit still on, and passed out in moments.

He was awoken by a rapid pounding on his apartment door. Ryan groaned softly, rolling on his side and squinting at his phone which told him he’d been asleep for three and a half hours. His mind was foggy, vision blurred. His head felt like it was full of lead, heavy and tired. The knocking persisted.

Ryan forced himself up out of bed and kicked off his shoes, padding across the wood floors in his black socks. His tie felt choking for some reason, so he loosened it. When he pulled the door open, Shane was standing in the hall, expression somewhat frantic.

“What-” Ryan began, but was cut off by Shane grabbing him and yanking him in for a bone-crushing hug. He smelled like his usual crisp cologne, and his hair was neatly groomed.

“You didn’t show up for our meeting Ryan.” Shane murmured into the shorter man’s hair, “I waited for an hour. I was so-so worried, you weren’t answering your phone. I thought- I thought-”

“Hey,” Ryan shushed him, pulling away to meet his eyes, “I’m sorry Shane. I uh...I actually fell asleep, I didn’t mean to. I am so sorry. Let me grab my things and we can discuss the next step for our cross-prep.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Shane’s eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed, “My God Ryan you look like death. Are you sick?”

“I’m fine.” Ryan said, almost reflexively.

Shane pressed the back of his hand against Ryan’s clammy forehead, “You’re burning up. We’re not working on case stuff. You need to lay down. And Jesus, why are you wearing so much clothing?”

He grabbed Ryan’s shoulders and turned him around, ushering him into the apartment as he shut the door behind them. Ryan felt too shitty to even argue as he began walking toward the hamper beside his bed. The loft had an open floor plan, so all 1300 square feet of it was within view no matter where you were. Shane moved into the kitchen area while Ryan stripped off his sweat-soaked suit and replaced it with a t-shirt and basketball shorts from his closet.

He turned back to face Shane, who was staring, wide-eyed.

“What?” Ryan snapped. “Nothing,” Shane blushed red, “I’ve just...never seen you so undressed before.”

Ryan scowled, “Don’t act like its a _Playboy_ catalog.”

Shane laughed, “So you’re cranky when you’re sick. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

“ _So you’re cranky when you’re sick,_ ” Ryan mocked him immaturely in an obnoxiously high voice.

Laughing again, Shane responded, “Why don’t you sit down and relax. Have you eaten yet today?”

“Not hungry.” Ryan replied as he fell down on to the cold leather couch, shivering.

Shane pattered around in the kitchen, “This is a very nice apartment.”

“I’m a lawyer.” Ryan said matter-of-factly.

He heard Shane chuckle again, and then listened as various noises happened behind him. He turned, leaning over the back of the couch as he noticed Shane was putting things into a pot on the stove.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

“Feeding you, since you obviously haven’t eaten, and it looks like you need some Tylenol for the fever.”

“Do you make it a habit of going into other people’s homes and messing up their kitchens?”

“Only the people I think are really cute.”

Ryan rolled his eyes, laying back down and letting the other man do whatever he needed to do. Before long, Shane approached the couch with a tray. Balanced atop it, a bowl of steaming soup, a cut up apple Shane must’ve found in the fridge, and a tall glass of ice water with two pills beside it.

Surprised, Ryan sat back up, staring down at the spread in confusion, “What’s this?”

“Soup, fruit and meds.” Shane responded, setting the tray down on Ryan’s lap.

Ryan glanced between the tray and Shane’s expectant face, “Why?”

Shane plopped down beside him on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table with a frown, “What the hell do you mean _why_? You’re sick.”

Ryan bit his lip. The soup smelled heavenly, and the cold water was inviting given his sore, scratchy throat.

Shane noticed his trepidation, and spoke softly, though there was a slight joking inflection to his tone. “Ryan, why do you look like you’re afraid the soup is poisoned? I swear, I’m really _not_ a murderer.”

“It’s not that…” Ryan murmured quietly, “I uh…” he scratched the back of his head nervously, “No one’s ever…”

Shane sat up in realization, “Taken care of you when you were sick?”

Ryan grimaced.

Shane’s frown deepened, “Even as a kid?”

“We were a _Vicks_ vapor rub and tylenol out the door family,” Ryan explained with a shrug, “why stop working hard just because you don’t feel well?”

Shane repeated his last words slowly, “Because... _you don’t feel well_. Why do you need more reason than that?”

Ryan’s brow creased, and he took a deep breath, “Why did you do this for me?”

Shane rested a hand gently on Ryan’s shoulder, “‘Cause _you’re sick_.”

“I know but… well, what does this get you?”

The taller, brunette man sat back a little, looking somewhat hurt. He blinked a few times, “what does it _get me_?” he asked, “I don’t understand this question.”

“How does this- benefit you?”

Shane snorted, seeming dumbfounded, “Jesus Ryan, you think people only do stuff for you to _benefit from it_?”

Ryan cocked an eyebrow up inquisitively at Shane, “You think people do things just out of the goodness of their hearts?”

“Yes, I do. Damn it Ryan, you’re sick, I care about you, and I want you to feel better. Eat the soup. Drink the water. Let’s focus on taking care of you.”

Properly scolded, Ryan ate the soup. It was incredible: he knew it wasn’t canned because he certainly hadn’t bought that. Shane had thrown this together with ingredients from Ryan’s pantry, and it was amazing. Vegetables and chicken broth and some soft noodles with the perfect amount of seasoning to clear up his clogged nostrils. It filled his empty stomach and soothed his shivers. Shane watched him eat with an unreadable expression.

When Ryan finished the soup and moved on to the apple, he spoke quietly, “Thanks.”

Shane nodded, “You’re welcome. I hope you know that I wouldn’t do nice things for you just to benefit myself. I would do anything for you. Just to make sure you’re okay.”

Ryan didn’t meet his eyes or respond, so Shane kept talking, “It’s alright to let people in sometimes. To let someone else take care of you. You don’t have to be this powerhouse all the time.”

“Yes I do.” Ryan whispered, eyes faraway, “I have to prove myself.”

“Ryan, you’re the youngest managing partner at a huge law firm in LA. You live in a gorgeous penthouse that I could only afford in my dreams, and you’re younger than me. You’re a genius in the courtroom, and you’re a goddamn good person. What the fuck else do you feel like you need to prove?”

Ryan shook his head, “It’s not good enough-”

“It’s not good enough until what then?” Shane demanded, “Until you own the company? Own every law firm in the state? Kill all the other lawyers?” he snorted, “I’m only half-kidding cause as you know, I’m a murderer.” he didn’t wait for Ryan to laugh before continuing, “You know, you can tell yourself it’s not enough and you have to keep working, but we both know that’s just a distraction. You’re not happy, and that’s because you put so much pressure on yourself to be the best.”

Shane leaned closer and pressed his forehead against Ryan’s, “You are enough. More than that, even. What’s it gonna take for you to see that you’ve exceeded everyone’s expectations except your own? That your self worth shouldn’t be tied up in your accomplishments.

” “If not my accomplishments, than what else?” Ryan rasped out.

Shane pressed his lips gently against Ryan’s, not seeming to care that he was sick and disgusting, “The people in your life. Your relationships. How you find happiness in every day. It’s not all a mad dash to the end, most of it is just enjoying where you’re at.” he kissed Ryan’s cheek, smiling into his skin, “Where would you like to be, right now?”

Ryan set the tray on the coffee table, turning to face Shane. He was so stunning, even in the most simple setting. Sitting there before Ryan, taking care of him, assuring him that he was more than enough, Ryan had never felt so strongly about another person before in his life. He wanted to pull him close and never let go.

“Right here.” Ryan replied, as he grabbed Shane’s face in his hands and kissed him deeply, “right here, with you. Now, and forever.”

Shane smiled into the kiss, “Let’s do our best to arrange that, huh?”

Ryan pulled away with a breathless laugh, “Yeah. Guess that all depends on me. Pressure’s back now, thanks!”

Shane planted one more kiss to Ryan’s forehead and pulled away to sit beside him on the couch, “Pressure’s fine sometimes, but save it for work hours. Right now, just focus on feeling better.”

Ryan leaned in and cuddled up to Shane’s warm side, “You know, our relationship or whatever we’re calling this, is despicably immoral by legal standards.”

Shane grinned, “That’s the way I like it baby.”

Ryan felt himself smiling in spite of his annoyance at Shane’s goofiness, and he decided that for today, he’d let go and just enjoy right now. After all, there was no guarantee that they’d have much time together.

But he didn’t think about that. He simply ate his apple, turned on the TV, and relished in the feeling of Shane’s body against his.

* * *

Luckily by the time the trial rolled around, Ryan was feeling much sharper. His cold came and went in a few days, and the next few weeks seemed to fly by. The fact that his sinuses were clear now didn’t help how nervous he felt.

This wasn’t like him; usually before the court he felt his best. He felt empowered, confident, and like he was at home. But today, with the stakes at play here...Ryan felt like he could vomit.

Shane was dressed nicely, in a suit and tie with freshly cut hair. His parents, brother and uncle all sat behind him in the first few rows of the court.

Once everyone was sworn in and things were settled, the judge called for the prosecution’s opening statement. Diana wore a purple pantsuit that complimented her dark skin nicely. She marched up to the front, addressing the jury.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the jury.” She greeted them warmly, “today, you’re going to hear two stories. You’re going to hear from the defense, about a poor, abused man who couldn’t catch a break. And you’re going to hear, what they’ll tout as a heroic act, of a brother protecting his family. But then, you’ll hear the truth. That a vicious murder that was plotted by an entire family against an innocent young woman happened right beneath society's nose, in the parking lot of a restaurant. While the woman lay there on the concrete, dying beneath the man who was twice her size and weight, what were her final thoughts?” Diana shook her head sadly, “I’d imagine, a hope for justice to be brought. So I trust that you, the good people of this city, will do the right thing. And bring justice where it’s desperately due. Thank you.”

“What a load of crap.” Ryan heard Shane’s dad whisper from behind them.

“That’s her job, Mark.” his mother replied quietly, “they should call them _liars_ instead of _law_ yers.”

Ryan ignored that quip as he got to his feet and approached the jury for his own opening statement. He swallowed nervously, trying not to think about how much was riding on this case. He was a good lawyer damnit, everything would be fine.

“Good morning,” He greeted them just as Diana had, “I understand that Ms. Jacobs would like for you to believe that this unfortunate incident was simply the act of a deranged man with a bloodthirsty lust. But allow me to discuss something I think is prudent here.” he glanced around the jury box, making eye contact with the group before continuing, “Put yourself, just for a moment, in the shoes of the defendant. I know that’s hard to do, with some preconceived notions we may have about the accused. But imagine, that your family member, daughter, brother, mother, came to you and told you they were being abused. That someone they loved and trusted with all their heart, was repeatedly hurting them. That they’d been injured so badly, it required a visit to the ER for treatment.”

Ryan shook his head, looking back to them, “I have a little brother. And I would do whatever necessary to keep him safe. Now, imagine you’ve invited the abuser to dinner, just to talk things out. They get so enraged with your meddling, that they threaten to kill your loved one and you. And then, they try to do just that.”

Ryan glanced back at Shane, offering him a small smile before turning back to the jury box, “I can’t even fathom the terror. Throughout this case, you’re going to be presented with facts. My client’s DNA _was_ found on the scene. My client _was_ arguing with the deceased. My client _did_ grapple for control over the deadly weapon that the deceased pulled. This is all true, and we are not disputing it. What I need for you to do, as is your commitment on this jury, is to listen to the facts, listen to the context, and determine, truly, if _you_ would have done the same thing. Consider how you’d have reacted, how any of us would have reacted.” he crossed his hands, licking his lips quickly before continuing, “and do the right thing. As my colleague Diana stated, we put our full trust in your judgement. I have full faith in the twelve of you sitting before me today, that _true_ justice will be brought. To my client, to his grieving family, and his healing brother.”

He nodded once, “Thank you.”

Once he was seated, Judge Harrison nodded to Diana, “If ready, the prosecution may call their first witness.”

“The prosecution calls James Hadlin to the stand.”

The witness was a middle-aged man dressed neatly in an ill-fitting brown suit. He was balding slightly, and wore thick-rimmed dark glasses. He was sworn in, and looked expectantly at Diana.

“Good morning Mr. Hadlin, thank you for being here today. Now, please tell us what you saw on the night of September 13th.”

James pointed across the courtroom at Shane, “That guy and some blonde chick were arguing at the restaurant. I was there eating after work, and heard the commotion over the music.”

Diana nodded, _“Some blonde chick_ , being the deceased, Malorie Cowell. And how would you describe the defendant’s demeanor on the night in question?”

“Oh he was real angry,” James replied with a nod of his head, “you could tell she’d really ticked him off. He said she’d better leave his brother alone or he’d make her pay.”

“Make her pay?” Diana glanced at Shane and Ryan, then to the jury, and lastly back to James, “did he elaborate on that?”

“Didn’t get a chance to,” James shook his head, “the girl was outta there faster than a feline who got a whiff of catnip.”

“And after she removed herself from this volatile situation,” Diana prompted, “what did the defendant do?”

“He got up and ran out after her. Then I guess he killed her.”

“Objection!” Ryan stood up quickly, “the witness is making completely unfounded accusations.”

“It’s not unfounded when your DNA is on the murder weapon,” Diana bit back.

“Sustained!” Judge Harrison interjected, then looked to Diana, “counsel, you’d do well to watch your mouth. The jury will disregard Mr. Hadlin’s last comment about the defendant.”

“No further questions.” Diana said, and strutted back to her seat with a smirk.

“Defense, your cross please.” The Judge urged.

“You can do this.” Shane murmured to Ryan, offering him a small smile.

“I know.” Ryan replied, “Thanks.”

He rose, approaching the witness stand casually, “Hello Mr. Hadlin.”

James nodded once in greeting.

“Let me clarify for a moment, Mr. Hadlin. In your statement, you said that the deceased, Malorie Cowell, got up and left abruptly after my client told her to stay away from his brother. Yes?”

James nodded again, “Yes.”

“And, did she say anything as she was leaving?”

James glanced at Diana, looking a little nervous.

“I’m to remind you, Mr. Hadlin, that you’re under oath.” Ryan said nonchalantly.

James scratched the bald spot on his head, “Well, she said something about his brother.”

“Something?” Ryan shook his head, “could you be more specific please?”

The older man sighed slightly, “Uh...she said something about...shutting him up. She said she was going to the hospital to make sure he didn’t say anything.”

Ryan glanced at the jury, arching his eyebrows before turning back to James, “I see. So, in summation, you saw the defendant fighting with the deceased about his brother. He told her to leave his brother alone, she then threatened to _shut him up_ , and ran out. Is that correct?”

“I don’t think the girl was meaning to hurt anyone-”

“Is that _correct_?” Ryan cut off his weak attempt to argue.

“Yes.” James responded, defeated.

“No further questions, Your Honor.” Ryan said with a smile, and went to go sit beside Shane.

“Prosecution, do you care to revisit the witness?”

“No, Your Honor.” Diana didn’t sound happy about the way her first witness had gone.

The trial meandered on relatively uneventfully. Diana only had a few more witnesses, and all were people who’d simply seen Shane and Malorie fighting at their table inside. No one had come forward to say they saw the final fight outside. One of the witnesses was the first police officer on the scene, but most of his responses were unbiased and unhelpful for both sides. He confirmed that Malorie did have a registered gun, and both her and Shane’s handprints were on it.

When it was time for Ryan to call his first witness, he did so with confidence. The witness was Dr. Alex Strangelow, the on-call physician from the night of Scott’s admittance to the hospital.

“Good morning Doctor,” Ryan said to him warmly, “Thank you for being here, I know you’re a busy man.”

The blonde man nodded, “Of course.”

“Please tell us what you experienced in your ER on September 6th.”

Alex looked to Scott in the audience, then back to Ryan, “Scott Madej was admitted at 4:30 PM with a broken ankle and severe head trauma. He’d driven himself to the ER, which was unusual and dangerous.”

“What did he say when you asked him how he’d been injured?” Ryan asked.

“He claimed he fell down the stairs at his apartment building, which we knew was completely untrue. The injuries Mr. Madej sustained were clearly aggressive in nature, and someone had bruised him up pretty bad. Looked like he’d been hit with a blunt object, repeatedly. ”

“In your experience as a doctor, is it uncommon for victims of abuse to lie about their abusers hurting them?”

“Absolutely not. Most victims don’t want to out their abuser. Most of them feel hopeless, like if they tell, that their abuser will kill them. We weren’t sure exactly what had happened, but we knew the falling down story was not how he’d been hurt.”

Ryan knew his next question would incite a reaction, but it was necessary for the backbone of his defense. “Lastly, again in your experience as a doctor, is it common for victims of abuse to be killed by their abuser?”

“Objection!” Diana stood quickly, “Leading the witness! And, relevance? My deceased client is not the one on trial here!”

“It speaks to a pattern of abuse and building fear.” Ryan defended himself, “I’m simply asking the doctor if he’s seen many cases where a victim of abuse is murdered after escalating violence.”

“I’ll allow it.” Judge Harrison conceded, “Proceed with caution Mr. Bergara.”

“Again, Doctor, is it common for victims of abuse to be killed by their abuser?”

Alex nodded in response, “Yes. Unfortunately, after a pattern of escalating violence and abuse, it is common for victims of domestic abuse to be killed by their attacker.”

“And, under the assumption that Scott Madej was being abused by the deceased, is it unreasonable to think he may have been murdered, had the abuse continued?”

“Objection!” Diana shouted, “ _Your Honor_!”

“I’ll allow it.” Judge Harrison repeated, “Answer the question doctor.”

Alex responded calmly, “I think it is reasonable to assume that if Scott Madej was being abused, and his abuse had continued, he could have been murdered by the attacker at some point.”

Ryan nodded solemnly, “Thank you. No further questions.” He sat down, watching Diana glower at him as he did so.

She approached the witness stand quickly, looking tensed up. “Doctor, in your experience, do you see a lot of men who are abused by women?”

“Objection!” Ryan shook his head, “Relevance?”

“I gave you leeway,” Judge Harrison reminded Ryan, “I see where the prosecution is going, I’ll allow it.”

“No,” Alex replied, “but-”

“So, you more often than not, see women being abused by men, correct?” Diana cut him off.

“Yes.” Alex said, “However, it-”

She cut him off again, “And, based purely on physicality, do you think it would be easy for a 5’4, 95 pound woman to overcome a 6 foot man?”

“Easy? No, but-”

“So if Scott Madej were being abused by the deceased, then it would mean that she somehow was overpowering him on a regular basis, yes?”

“Madam, if the attacker has a weapon and if the abused is not fighting back-”

“Please answer the question asked.” Diana interjected.

Alex inhaled deeply, “Yes. It would mean the deceased was overpowering him. Now, her methods to do so are-”

“And as you just stated, it would not be easy for someone of the deceased’s size to overpower someone of Mr. Madej’s size, yes?”

Frustrated, the doctor replied, “No! But that’s not all there is to it-”

“One final question Dr. Strangelow, Scott Madej did not tell you he was being abused, correct? He never admitted to being abused or named the deceased as the attacker once? Correct?”

Alex’s nostrils flared, “ _No_ he didn’t, b-”

“No further questions Your Honor.” Diana interrupted him a final time, stalking back to her seat.

“Would the defense like to revisit this witness?” Judge Harrison asked Ryan.

“As much as we’d like to hear him finish a sentence,” Ryan said, smirking when it earned a collective laugh from the jury, “We have nothing further.”

After they broke for lunch and came back at around 2PM, Judge Harrison seemed tired. She’d pulled her gray mound of curls up in a clip, and looked ready for this trial to be over with. It was speeding along rather quickly though, by most murder trial standards. The self defense angle helped with that.

“Defense, you may call your next witness.” Judge Harrison said slowly.

Ryan had another witness, a patron at the restaurant who had seen the pair arguing. She claimed to have heard Malorie screaming at Shane and threatening to go back to the hospital. Her questioning and cross went fairly as planned. Diana didn’t have much for her.

Ryan had decided not to call Scott to the stand to testify about his abuse. He figured the doctor would be able to do just the same, and with a bit more credibility and less emotion. As much as Scott wanted to help out his brother by testifying, Ryan knew he wasn’t ready. He would be grilled violently by Diana, and shamed in front of an entire courtroom more than he already had been.

“The defense would like to call our final witness, Shane Madej, to the stand.”

Diana looked surprised that Ryan would call him, as it was fairly uncommon to call the defendant in a murder trial to testify. Ryan didn’t care. He trusted Shane, and he knew Shane could do this.

“Good afternoon Mr. Madej.” Ryan said formally, which was weird, looking into the eyes of a man he cared so deeply for.

Shane nodded, “Ryan.”

Ryan smiled slightly, “How are you feeling today? I know this is all pretty overwhelming.”

“Yeah, it is.” Shane responded, his voice somewhat nervous. He was doing perfectly; as they’d rehearsed this many times. Their goal was for him to come off as tender and sympathetic.

“Have you ever been in trouble with the law before, Shane?” Ryan asked, switching to his first name to ease the jury into a more casual perception of him.

Shane quickly shook his head, “No sir. Not so much as a speeding ticket.”

“Tell us about what happened on September 13th.”

Shane sighed quietly, “My brother was in the hospital. We’d all had our suspicions about Malorie hurting him, and this was the last straw. I called her to ask her to dinner, so I could tell her to stay away from my brother.”

“And what was your plan if it didn’t go well?” Ryan inquired, “if she refused to leave him alone.”

“I was going to call the police and file an official report. I didn’t want to have to do that though. I was hoping she’d just leave him alone and not have to involve law enforcement. Make it easier on herself.”

“And dinner did not go well?” Ryan confirmed.

Shane shook his head again, “No. Malorie became very angry when I asked her to leave Scott alone. She told me she was going to go to the hospital and make sure he didn’t say anything.” he shuddered, “The look in her eyes. I knew she was going to do something awful.”

“And you followed her outside?” Ryan continued.

“Yes. Just to stop her from going to the hospital. I told her I wasn’t going anywhere until she agreed to leave Scott alone. She got angry, and pulled her gun out of its holster. I knew she carried a gun, it was legally hers, but I never thought she would...” he swallowed hard, “but she did. She pulled it on me, and I panicked. I grabbed her arm to try to get it out of her hands so she couldn’t shoot anyone. We wrestled to the ground and she climbed on top of me trying to shoot me. I shoved her off with my hand and rolled on top of her to pin her down. I reached for the gun to throw it away from her reach, but she started to choke me.” He touched his neck with soft fingers, as if remembering something, “The pain...I was stuck there while she choked me. It hurt so badly, my lungs and throat were on fire. I could feel myself getting dizzy, when I managed to grab the gun. I hit her on the head with it, hoping to subdue her.”

Ryan nodded, “Once you hit her, did she stop choking you?”

“Not at first. But after a few seconds, her eyes closed and she fell back onto the pavement.”

“And what did you do then?”

“I called 911 for an ambulance.”

Shane replied, “I told them everything that had happened. When they arrived, they told me she was dead.”

“Did they examine your neck injuries, from the throttling?” Ryan inquired.

Shane shook his head, “No. The police just arrested me on the spot. But I was bruised for about a week. You can see it in my mugshot.”

It was not a good move to show the jury Shane’s mugshot. It would only reinforce their view of him as a murdering criminal, but Ryan wanted them to see the proof. He handed the photo to the judge, who passed it to the jury box. The finger-shaped purple bruises were clear as day. They muttered amongst themselves as they passed the photo around.

“Shane, when you went to have dinner with Malorie Cowell, did you intend to hurt her?” Ryan asked.

“Absolutely not. I wanted to prevent more harm from coming to anyone.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you’d wanted to kill Malorie, wouldn’t you just have shot her with the gun instead of hitting her?”

“Objection!” Diana hissed, “leading the witness.”

“Sustained. The jury will disregard Mr. Bergara’s last comment.”

“Nothing further Your Honor.” Ryan said, nodding once to Shane and going back to his seat. It didn’t matter if the jury “disregarded” the statement. They couldn’t _unhear_ it.

Diana approached Shane, eyes level with him. He squirmed a little under her intense stare, but kept his face neutral.

 _Calm down Ryan_ , he told himself silently, _you prepared him well. He’ll be fine. We can do this_.

“Mr. Madej.” Diana greeted Shane coldly, “I have just a few questions for you.”

“Okay.” Shane replied nervously.

“You love your brother, right?”

Shane looked across the courtroom at Scott, and nodded seriously, “Yes. Of course.”

“And you would do anything to protect him?” Diana asked.

Ryan could see where she was going with this, and Shane clearly did too, because he did not look happy, “Yes. I think we all would, to protect our loved ones.”

“Shane, if your brother told you someone was hurting him, would you feel angry at that person?”

“Yes.”

“And did you kill Malorie because your brother asked you to?”

“Objection!” Ryan snapped, “Inappropriate, leading the witness, _badgering_ the witness!”

“Mr. Bergara-”

“Opposing counsel is being an _asshole_ , Your Honor!” Ryan growled.

“I’m doing due diligence!” Diana hissed, “just like you did with your cross!”

“Accusations are _not_ diligence!” Ryan seethed back, “how _dare_ you-”

“Enough!” Judge Harrison shouted, “Order in the court! Mr. Bergara, one more snarky comment out of you and you’re mine in contempt. Ms. Jacobs, keep your questions within reason and respectful. The objection is sustained, and you’re both on thin ice!”

“Allow me to rephrase,” Diana said, smoothing down the front of her suit jacket, “Mr. Madej, you met up with Malorie in the hopes of keeping your brother safe, right?”

“Yes.” Shane replied quietly.

“If killing Malorie was a guaranteed way to keep your brother safe, would you call that justified?”

“Your _Honor_!” Ryan whined.

“I’m just asking his opinion!” Diana said innocently.

“I’ll allow it.” Judge Harrison replied.

Shane looked helplessly at Ryan, who sighed and nodded, mouthing: _it’s okay._

“I would do anything to keep my brother safe.” Shane’s voice was a near-whisper.

“Again, Mr. Madej. Under oath, in your opinion, is it justifiable to kill someone in order to keep a loved one safe?”

Shane straightened up, meeting Diana’s eyes, and clenching his jaw, “Ms. Jacobs, I can honestly say, under oath, that I do not believe that it’s ever justifiable to murder someone in cold blood. If my brother was in danger, and he was, I would’ve found alternative ways to keep him safe, like talking it out, or going to the police. Which I did. The only reason this night ended the way it did, is because Malorie attacked me and tried to strangle me to death. I wish that it hadn’t happened that way. But all I wanted to do was keep my brother and myself from being killed.”

 _Very good Shane_ , Ryan thought proudly.

“And in the process, you murdered someone else.” Diana replied.

“Objection!” Ryan was starting to get tired of saying that, “my client has _not_ been convicted of any-”

“Sustained.” Judge Harrison cut Ryan off, “Ms. Jacobs you’re being antagonistic, I’d suggest you finish your line of questioning very quickly.”

“Nothing further Your Honor. The prosecution rests.”

Diana gave Ryan a sly smile and slinked back over to her table.

“Does the defense wish to revisit this witness?”

Ryan met Shane’s eyes across the room. He looked so scared, so helpless and hurt. All Ryan wanted to do was reach across the space between them and pull him into his embrace. Tell him everything would be alright. But he couldn’t. They’d said everything there was to say.

“The defense rests.” Ryan stated.

Shane rose from his seat and walked toward their table, averting the gazes of the twelve people who’d determine his fate.

* * *

After the closing statements had finished up, and court was adjourned for the jury to deliberate; Shane and Ryan went to dinner. They weren’t allowed to go too far, so they ordered pizza to Ryan’s office at the firm. Shane lounged casually in Ryan’s swiveling office chair, eating pizza and dripping grease on the burnished cherry wood. Ryan didn’t even care that he was going to ruin the varnish.

For the first time in his career as an attorney, had no idea how this case was going to go. He couldn’t get a good read on the jury for the entire trial, and it had already been three hours since they’d adjourned.

“You know, you were very sexy in there.” Shane said, licking pizza sauce off his fingers as he reached for another slice, “yelling objection, calling female colleagues assholes. Macho masculine.”

Ryan chuckled mirthlessly, setting down his half-eaten slice in the box on his desk. He wasn’t sure how Shane seemed completely unfazed and at ease while awaiting the biggest decision of his life; but that was pretty par for the course with him.

“I admittedly got a little too heated. That’s not my usual style.” he confessed, getting to his feet and crossing the room to lean down and press a greasy kiss to Shane’s lips, “you just make me crazy I guess.”

Shane smirked, “No shock there. You seem nervous, lawyer boy.”

“I am.” Ryan admitted, “I truly don’t know which way they’re going to go with this.”

“Ryan,” Shane murmured, “you should know...no matter what the verdict is, I’m glad all of this happened. Because meeting you, and getting to know you, even for the short time we’ve had, was worth more than a whole lifetime of freedom.”

“Please don’t talk like that.” Ryan whispered, “I can’t imagine- I _can’t_ lose you.”

Shane grabbed Ryan’s neck and pulled him in for a deep, slow kiss. His mouth was still greasy from the pizza, and his breath was hot, but Ryan couldn't care less, “Thank you for everything,” he whispered against Ryan’s lips, and deepened the kiss.

Suddenly, the door burst open and they both turned, wide-eyed. Robert Madej stood in the doorway. He was taken aback for a moment, at the sight of his nephew and one of his managing partners making out, but he quickly smoothed over his expression to neutral.

“The jury is in.” He said, completely ignoring the spectacle.

Ryan stammered, “Already?”

He nodded, “Lets go.” he turned and disappeared, heading back to the courtroom.

Shane exhaled, “That was fast. Is that good or bad?”

“I don’t know,” Ryan shook his head with a grimace, “But I’m probably losing my job anyway now.”

Shane squeezed his hand, “You get fired, I’ll go to prison, and we can make a whole new identity out of this.”

Ryan let out a breathless laugh, “Come on crazy, let’s go see what the verdict is.”

They filed back into the courtroom. Ryan’s heart was beating erratically in his chest, his throat tight with anxiety. He was never this nervous for verdicts, but this case was different for a lot of reasons. His palms were slick with sweat.

“Has the jury reached a unanimous decision?” Judge Harrison asked, addressing the twelve jurors. Shane’s parents both patted his shoulders from behind the bench, and Ryan let out a slow breath.

“We have, Your Honor.” the head juror said.

“And how do you find?”

The head juror, a small, slim brunette woman with wide circular glasses, looked over at Shane and Ryan. Her expression was almost...apologetic.

The lump in Ryan’s throat got even bigger.

_Oh no._

“On the count of murder in the first degree, we find Shane Madej…”

There was a sudden buzzing in Ryan’s ears that blocked out all sound. Her sentence faded out to the ringing of his mind, and he couldn’t even hear her start the second count. He was frozen as things started happening around him. He blinked rapidly, anxiety overwhelming him as he felt so stressed that he might keel over.

Suddenly, his panic attack was broken into by Shane grabbing him by the arms and crushing him against his chest. “I love you!” Shane’s voice broke through the haze of his mind.

“No…” Ryan whispered, feeling his eyes begin to water as he noticed that there were tears running down Shane’s face.

“Shane, the verdict.” Ryan managed to choke out, eyes wide.

Shane leaned in closer and nestled his face in Ryan’s neck, “I love you. I love you.” he wiped at the tears rolling down his cheeks, “where should we go to celebrate?”

Suddenly, the weight fell off Ryan’s shoulders and his breath released in an almost painfully large exhale. He didn’t even notice how hard he was crying until he swiped at his own face, blinking the tears away rapidly.

_Not guilty._

_Not guilty._

“Not guilty.” he said quietly, “I love you too.”

“We’ll have to have a talk later,” Robert intervened, making eye contact with Ryan and completely breaking up their little love fest, “but for now, thank you for helping my nephew. You always have a job at my firm, Mr. Bergara."

Ryan shook his hand shakily, “Thank you sir.”

Shane’s family members took turns crushing him into them for hugs, and kissing him. Shane and Scott held each other for a while, and Ryan could tell that Scott was crying into his brother’s shoulder.

Diana approached Ryan as he was packing up his briefcase, embarrassed by his display of affection. She held her hand out for Ryan to shake.

“Great work, Mr. Bergara.” She begrudgingly complimented him, giving him a small smile.

He shook her hand, “You too Ms. Jacobs. You’re a worthy adversary.”

“I guess we won’t be seeing much more of you in the more violent criminal courts?” she inquired, “this was sort of a one-off for you?”

Ryan glanced back at the sobbing Madej family, hugging their son and brother and thanking God that he was going to be okay. That they hadn’t lost their son.

He smiled, turning back to Diana. “Don’t count on it, you’re not getting rid of me that easy.”

* * *

The next morning, Ryan awoke to brilliant, blinding sunlight streaming in through his penthouse windows. He groaned, stretching his body, joints popping as he did so. He glanced at his bedside clock: 9AM. He hadn’t slept in this late in ages. He rolled on his side, grinning as Shane’s sleeping face came into view beside him.

Groggily, Shane’s hazel eyes opened, blinking as he saw Ryan. He smiled, and the beams of golden rays coming in from outside cast a shining glow across his pale skin, “Good morning, lawyer boy.”

Ryan smirked, “You know, I’m not technically your lawyer anymore.”

Shane chuckled, “Well, after what we did last night, that’s probably a good thing.”

Cheeks flushed, Ryan glanced down at his naked body. He looked back to Shane, still smiling, “I’m glad you’re not going to prison. Maybe I could take you on a real date sometime?”

Shane nodded eagerly, “I’d love that.” Shane rolled over, moving to get out of bed, before Ryan grabbed his arm, pulling him back in.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.

Shane cocked an eyebrow up curiously, “To get dressed. Don’t you have to be at work like...ten minutes ago?”

Ryan smiled, eyes combing over Shane’s body. He was here, safe, and secure in Ryan’s bed. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“No.” Ryan said softly, “Work can wait. I’m calling in sick today.”

“Can you do that?” Shane asked.

Ryan thought about all of the things he’d been told he couldn’t do. There was a long list, a catalog of doubts that many had for him over the years. Of course, he’d overcome them with hard work and dedication. None of that seemed to matter anymore though. For now, he wanted to relax with Shane, and enjoy this moment in time.

“I can do whatever I want.” he decided, “I’d like to make you some breakfast, and catch the matinee of that very sexy show we had last night.”

Shane laughed, pulling Ryan in for a slow, sensual kiss, “I’ve got no objections to that.”

Ryan groaned at the bad pun, but in reality, he hoped he’d be hearing a lot more of those.

Hopefully, for the rest of his life.


End file.
